Jim Brown's rookie contract up for auction

Jim Brown played for the Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. He is shown here in the 1964 title game.

(Paul Tepley)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Football fans who want to own a piece of Cleveland sports history have a few days remaining to bid on Jim Brown's rookie contract.

Bidding has topped $12,000 on the one-page document, which should go for "$30,000 to $50,000," according to Dan Imler, vice president for Laguna Niguel, California-based SCP Auctions.

Imler called Brown's rookie contract one of "half a dozen of the most significant sports contracts."

Six signatures -- including former NFL Commissioner Bert Bell's -- are on Jim Brown's rookie contract from 1957.

"It's one of the two best football contracts that we've ever seen, that we're aware of," he said. "The only other comparative contract on the market is Johnny Unitas' rookie contract with the (Baltimore) Colts." Imler said that sold for $30,000 in 2007 - five years after Unitas' death. Coincidentally, Unitas was the Colts quarterback in the 1964 championship game, which Brown played in for Cleveland.

"I would expect that contract would sell for a lot more now today, in the world of football," Imler said "In baseball, which is obviously a larger market, there are contracts that have sold for multiple, six figures."

Brown's rookie contract sold through a different auction house last year for about $25,000.

SCP's online auction initially closes 5 p.m. this Saturday. Only people who have put in bids on the contract prior to that deadline will be allowed to participate further, in extended bidding. There is no reserve, or minimum, that must be met, Imler said. Highest bidder wins.

Terry Melia, marketing and social-media manager for SCP Auctions, said the last 24 to 36 hours of an auction draw most of the bidding.

The original contract is, surprisingly, a simple, one-page document measuring 8 inches by 19-5/8 inches and "is in very nice condition," the auction house states. The contract for the player, who is listed as "Jimmy Brown," notes his salary ($12,000), signing bonus ($3,000) and his payment schedule (mostly weekly).

The document includes six signatures, including former NFL Commissioner Bert Bell's, and dates to January 1957. Bell died two years later.

Brown had a stellar rookie campaign. He led the league in rushing yards (942), rushing touchdowns (9) and rushing yards per game (78.5). He had been selected out of Syracuse in the first round and would play nine years as a professional, amassing 12,312 yards and 106 touchdowns. He is the only running back to average more than 100 yards per game over a career.